284 PRISTIPOMATID^. 



very finely serrated. Silvery, darker on the back ; the spinous dorsal 

 with a narrow black edge ; the soft anal with a blackish blotch. 

 Capo Sea ; Indian Ocean ; Molucca Sea. 



a. Adult. Amboyna. From Mr. Frank's Collection. 



b. Half-grown. Amboyna. From Mr. Frank's Collection. 



c. Adult. India. 



d Adult : stuffed : not good state. Cape Seas. 



16. Therapon caudovittatus. 



Datnia cauda\'ittata, Richards. Voy. of the Erebus and Terror, J'ishes, 

 p. 24. pi. 18. f. 3-5. 



D.^. A.|. L. lat. 46. 



Snout rather longer than the diameter of the eye ; praeoperculum 

 rounded, finely and equally denticulated. Operciilar spines flat and 

 rather short. Dorsal scarcely notched : the last spines as long as the 

 first rays ; the fourth, fifth and sixth dorsal spines longest, half as 

 high as the body, slender ; the second anal spine rather stronger than 

 the' third. Spotted with greyish brown : each lobe of the caudal 

 with one broad deep-black band. 



Rivers of Australia. 



a. Adult. Antarctic Expedition. Presented by the Lords of the 



Admiralty. 



b, c. ' Fine specimens : stuffed. Victoria. Voyage of H. M. S. 



Herald. 

 d, e. Adult : stuffed. Cape York. Voyage of the Rattlesnake. 

 f-Ti. Adult : skins : not good state. Harvey River (fresh water), 



Western Australia. 

 h. Adult : not good state. From the Haslar Collection. 



The contraction of the air-hJmlder in this species is as conspicuous 

 as in any other Therapon ; it has been overlooked by Sir J. Richardson, 

 who describes the air-bladder as undivided, and sepai'ates Th. caudo- 

 vittatus from this geuus. 



2. HELOTES. 



HeloteS, Cuv. Bigne Anim ; Cuv. Sf Val. iii. p. 149. 



Six branchiostegal s . Eye of moderate size . Cleft of the mouth rather 

 small ; jaws nearly eijual. Teeth : none on the vomer or the palatine 

 bones ; those of the outer rows with a small lobe on each side. Oper- 

 culum with feeble spines ; prasoperculiim denticulated. Dorsal not 

 deeply notched, with twelve spines, anal with three. Scales small, 

 ctenoid. Air-bladder separated by a contraction into an anterior 

 and posterior portion. Cajca pylorica in moderate number. 



From the Molucca Sea to Australia. 



